Exclusive
HAMMER BLOW
West Ham pull out of race to sign Lille striker Jonathan David despite meeting Lille’s £30million transfer price
Two other Prem clubs are linked with the forward
WEST HAM have pulled out of the race to sign Lille striker Jonathan David after being asked to pay £10MILLION in agent fees.
SunSport has learned that West Ham were willing to pay Lille's £30m asking price for the Canadian international.
2
SUNSPORT'S TRANSFER NEWS LIVE
STAY in the know this summer with The Sun's transfer experts.
Jadon Sancho is nearing an exit from Manchester United, with PSG reportedly agreeing a blockbuster move despite his return to the fold.
Man City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is wanted by Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, according to reports.
Elsewhere, Chelsea have made an initial approach for Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, according to reports.
Follow our LIVE TRANSFER BLOG for all the latest deals, gossip and exclusives.
But the Hammers refused to meet demands for agent fees totalling a third of the player's transfer value.
David is set to leave Lille this summer after entering the last 12 months of his contract.
West Ham are among several Premier League clubs interested in his services, along with Chelsea and Newcastle.
The 24-year-old has scored 84 goals in 183 appearances for Lille and also played a starring role in helping Canada to the semi-finals of this summer's Copa America.
New West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui is targeting a new striker after completing the £40m signing of Max Kilman from old club Wolves last month.
But his bosses are refusing to make the deal happen.
West Ham have made a concerted effort to keep spending on agent fees down in recent years and paid £13.8m to intermediaries last season, way behind table-topping Chelsea at £75m.
West Ham are now understood to be prioritising a move for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran instead, with the Colombian international available for around £35m.
Most read in Football
2
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
The Londoners are also joined by Tottenham as the most likely suitors for Brentford's Ivan Toney.
The Bees are ready to slash their asking price to less than £50m due to a lack of interest.
Arsenal are not prioritising signing a striker this summer, Chelsea think Toney is too old and Manchester United have signed £36.5m Holland striker Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna.
Manchester United's top transfer targets